Bean cutter



Aug. 28,

1934. 1., 1 MCGEE ET AL BEAN CUTTER Filed Nov. 29, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet llllll will? INVENTORS ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1934.

L.T. M GEEETA L w 7 1,971,495

BEAN CUTTER Filed Nov. 29, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS LJYM Gee 11191211 6186 Aug. 28, 1934. 1". McGEE ET! AL BEAN CUTTER Filed NOV. 29,1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 28, :1934

BEAN oo'r'mn Leland T. McGee and Raymond H. McGee, Ripon, Calit,assignors of one-half to Abram Van Weerdhuizen, Ripon, Calif.

Application November 29, 1933, Serial No. 'llltfi'ld 9 Claim.

This invention relates to bean cutters, our principal object being toprovide a machine for the purpose which is constructed so as to bemounted on a standard tractor to project ahead 15, of the same, wherebythe tractor both forms the support and advancing means for the cutter;one which will efiiciently untangle and then cut a plurality of rows ofbean vines simultaneously without becoming choked; one which may beeasily adjusted to cut at different levels; and one which is relativelysimple and inexpensive of construction, with a minimum of wearing andmoving parts apt to give trouble.

We have also provided a compact readily operated mechanism, mounted onthe tractor and connected to the cutter, for raising the same clear ofthe ground while maintaining the cutter still supported by the frame fortransportation.

These objects we accomplish by means of such 29 structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure l is a side elevation oi the cutter as attached to a tractor.

Figure 2 is a top plan view or the cutter detached from the tractor.

Figure 3 is a hall transverse. section taken on the line 3-3 of Figurel.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the cutter comprises side frame beams 1 connected at theirforward end and intermediate their ends by cross bars 2. The beams arespaced apart sufllciently to extend outwardly of the endless tracks 3 orwheels of a tractor d. At its rear end each beam is provided with a boss5 having a vertical row of holes, any one of which at a time is engagedby a pivot pin 6 secured in and projecting from a bracket 7 mounted ontheadjacent side trame.

8 ol the tractor.

Longitudinally spaced hanger bars 9 are socured to and depend from eachbeam l ahead oi the tractor, and support a separator board 10 which issecured against said bars and extends parallel to the beam 1, the loweredge of said board being adjacent the ground.- A pair of wheels ill orother ground engaging members is mounted for vertical adjustment onopposite sides of the board in close relation thereto and ahead of theforward hanger bar.

The board 10 also serves as the support for relatively heavy anglebrackets 12 which are disposed against the rear end of the board onopposite sides of the same, the lateral legs 12o oi the bracketsprojecting from the opposite sides of the board at the bottom with aslight downward slant toward their outer ends. Cutting blades 13 flatlyengage and are secured on said legs of the brackets and projectoutwardly from the same. These blades are set with a certain divergentangle to the rear, the cutting edges of the blades being of course thosealong the opposite sides of the blades. The brackets 12 are disposedcentrally between the ends of the blades so that the latter are wellbalanced and need no additional braces, without being unduly heavy.

The blades at the brackets are close to the board so that their inneradjacent edges in front oi the brackets are out parallel to the board soas to clear the same, as shown in Figure 2; the blinds come to a.pointed termination at their front ends lust back of the wheels; as.shown in Figure 2. We

tions if they should strike an obstruction. The

bracket legs 12a having a downward slant laterally, the blades have asimilar slant, thus bringing their cutting edges on a level lower thanthat ol the brackets and the bottom of the board it as shown in Figure3, and the brackets and board are thus clear of the ground when theblades are in operation. Suitable vine lifting rods h, are secured onand project rearwardly and forwardly from the blades, to positivelydisengage the cut vines from. the ground.

Joumaled in bearings 15 mounted on the lorward ends of the beams l andthe boards ld immediatelyin front of and longitudinally allned with thelatter are rollers 16. These are 01! tapering form with their small endsat the bottom and they are set with a considerable forward slant towardtheir lower end. Wedge shaped digging shoes 1'7 extend lengthwiseol therollers to a point below the same and the boards 10, and are mounted inconnection with the lower bearing members 15. The upper ends or theshoes overlap the lower ends of the rollers so that the vines engaged bythe shoes will slide onto the rollers without possibly catching on theirlower ends, and the lower bearings oi the rollers are protected againstbeing jammed by the vines. Theyare also protected from being engagedby-dirt which may be pushed up by the engagement of the shoes with theground.

eyes 27 on the beams 1.

The rollers are preferably rotated while the machine is advancing. Thismay be done in various ways. In the present instance the rollers areconnected at their upper ends by a chain drive 18, one end of which isconnected to a combination gear and chain drive mechanism 19 extendingalong one of the beams 1; one of the sprockets 20 of said drive beingmounted on the correspon w pivot pin 6. Said sprocket 20 is driven fromthe tractor in any suitable manner as by a chain drive.

connected to the adjacent drive axle 22 of the tractor. In this mannerthe cutter as a whole may be adjusted up or down about the pivot pins 6without interfering with the driving of the rollers. The said driving ofthe rollers is of course for the purpose of making them work moreefiiciently and so that they are practically selfcleaning atall times.

The raising and lowering of the cutter is preferably accomplished byhydraulic means which includes a vertical hydraulic cylinder 23 rigidlysecured against the front of the tractor centrally between the framebeams 1,, The piston rod 24 projects upwardly from the cylinder and isconnected to a cross arm 25 from the ends of which pull cables 26 orother flexible elements extend to The maintaining of a supp y of liquidunder pressure and the feeding of the same in controlled relation to thecylinder to effect the rasing or loweringof the arm 25is done in anyconvenient manner, which forms no part of 1 this invention, it beingunderstood that such control means tractor. v.

Lateral deflection of the beams 1 is prevented by verticalguides 28engaging the inner faces of the beams 1 and connected to the front ofthe tractor by suitable means such as braces 29 strapped to the radiatorframe.

It will thus be seen that the complete apparatus comprises a'pair ofduplicate and symmetrical sets of cutting blades and cooperating parts.Each set is supported by a pair of the wheels 11 and the frame as awhole is su'niciently flexible transverse- 1y that one-side may yieldindependently of the other as the corresponding wheels engage raises ordepressions in the ground. When the apparatus'is in operation, after thewheels 11 have been set so that the blades 13 function at the desiredlevel, the cables 26 rim slack so as not to interfere with the freedomof vertical movement of the cutter frame.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction ofv the device, stillia practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a, departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new anduseful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A bean cutter including Lv spaced side beams, means pivotallysupporting the beam; at their rear end; for free arcuate movement in{vertical plane, separate vine cutting elements supported by and belowthe frames toward their forward end, and ground engaging elements sepaisconvenient to the operator of the rately supporting the frames ahead ofthe cutting elements.

2. A bean cutter including a. longitudinal frame beam, means supportingthe beam from the ground, a longitudinal separator board below andsupported from the beam, angle brackets mounted on said board on itsopposite sides and having lateral legs projecting outwardly from theboard, and rearwardly diverging cutting blades supportedintermediatetheir ends on the lateral legs of the brackets.

3. A bean cutter including a longitudinal frame beam, means supportingthe beam from the ground, a longitudinal separator board below andsupported from the beam, rearwardly diverging cutting blades mounted inconnection with the board on opposite sides thereof and adjacent itslower edge, and ground engaging elements mounted on opposite sides ofthe board close to the same and ahead of the blades.

4. A bean cutter including a longitudinal frame beam, means supportingthe beam from the ground, a longitudinal separator board below andsupported from the beam, angle brackets mounted on said board on itsopposite sides and having lateral legs projecting outwardly from theboard, and rearwardly diverging cutting blades resting fiatly'on andsecured to said lateral bracket legs; said legs having a downward slopeto their outer edges whereby the blades are similarly disposed.

5. A bean cutter including a longitudinal frame beam, means. supportingthe beam from the ground, a longitudinal separator board below andsupported from the beam, rearwardly diverging cutting blades mounted inconnection with the board on opposite sides thereof and adjacent itslower edge, the cutting edges of the blades at 3110 their forward endapproaching close to the board, and a vine separating roller mounted inconnection with the board in front of and in centralized relationthereto.

6. A device as in claim 5, with means to rotate 3315 the roller.

7. In combination with a tractor, an implement including side framesextending alongside and ahead of the tractor, means pivoting said framesat their rear end on the tractor for free arcuate 12$) movement in avertical plane, tools supported from the frames ahead of the tractor,and vertically adjustable ground engagingelements supporting said framesahead of the tools.

8. In combination with a tractor, an implement 125 including side framesextending alongside and ahead of the tractor, means pivoting said framesat their rear end on the tractor for free arcuate movement in a.vertical plane, tools supported from the frames ahead of the tractor,means on the, tractor to lift the frames, and vertical guide barsmounted on the tractor and engaging the inner faces of the framesintermediate their ends.

9. An implement including side frames, supporting means for the frames,means pivoting the frames at their fear and to the supporting means,tools supported from the frames, ground engaging elements separatelysupporting the frames ahead of the tools, a vertical hydraulic liftdevice mounted on the first mentioned supporting means, a transversecross arm above and connected to the lift device for vertical movement,and flexible puilelements between the ends of the arm and the adjacentframes.

LELAND T. MOGEE. RAYMOND H. MCGEE.

